User:Ccheng2023/Evaluate an Article

Evaluate an article
This is where you will complete your article evaluation. Please use the template below to evaluate your selected article.


 * American Indian boarding schools
 * Briefly describe why you have chosen this article to evaluate
 * I left the screening of Dawnland feeling horrified at the abusive conditions of boarding schools in Maine. Having seen and heard the perspectives of the victims of the system, I wanted to learn more about how American Indian boarding schools were allowed to operate and the different ways in which they have been addressed by new legislation.

Lead

 * Guiding questions


 * Does the Lead include an introductory sentence that concisely and clearly describes the article's topic?
 * Does the Lead include a brief description of the article's major sections?
 * Does the Lead include information that is not present in the article?
 * Is the Lead concise or is it overly detailed?

Lead evaluation
The introductory sentence of the Lead clearly describes the article's topic but does so in a redundant manner, which is characteristic of the rest of the article. Having already established that the boarding schools served to assimilate Native American children, the introductory sentence adds that it serves the purpose of "providing a basic education in Euro-American subject matters."

In terms of content, the Lead sufficiently summarizes the article's major sections. However, though the overall organization is relatively brief, it is not concise. Many of the information presented in the Lead may do better to be placed in their respective sections. For example, in describing the various tactics of assimilation, the article includes a passage from Dr. Julie Davis which relates the scholarly perspectives on American Indian boarding schools. While this effectively introduces the subject matter of identity and culture, its detailed and analytical nature does not seem fitting for the Lead.

At the very end of the Lead, the article describes the movement of Native Americans to urban environments to assimilate to "majority culture". While this is an interesting piece of information, it does not seem to be explored any further in the article. Aside from this, this article - while lacking in concision - effectively introduces the content of the article.

Content

 * Guiding questions


 * Is the article's content relevant to the topic?
 * Is the content up-to-date?
 * Is there content that is missing or content that does not belong?

Content evaluation
While I cannot say with any certainty how much progress has been made in addressing the issues of attempts to assimilate Native Americans to Euro-American culture, I believe that this article could be updated. The majority of it relates historical incidents, with many taking place in the 19th century. A few span the 20th century (such as the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act) but there seems to be a lack of more recent updates to the topic. Particularly in the "Legality" section, I expect mentions of newer legislation. The most recent development listed in this section was the 1978 ICWA.

As a whole, the article's content is generally relevant to the topic. As mentioned previously, the "Legality" section seems lacking as it does not contain updated information. Aside from this, I might suggest that the article could add in sections about the responsibility of religion in the creation of American Indian boarding schools (this is briefly mentioned in the Lead, but not addressed any further later on) as well as the different ways in which communities have addressed the consequences of these boarding schools. A section on organizations (such as the Truth and Reconciliation Committee of Maine) could help relate this article to today and emphasize its relevance.

While I would also suggest for some reorganization in relation to the structure of the presentation of information as well as the addition of more research and information, the article seems to cover the main components of American Indian boarding schools. I thought at first that the section titled "Carlisle Indian Industrial School" seemed unnecessary, but after reviewing it, it sets up the historical basis of the establishment of these boarding schools. The article is relevant overall, but could benefit from recent updates and reflection.

Tone and Balance

 * Guiding questions


 * Is the article neutral?
 * Are there any claims that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?
 * Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
 * Does the article attempt to persuade the reader in favor of one position or away from another?

Tone and balance evaluation
Though the issue of assimilation of Native Americans is undoubtedly wrong, this article could benefit from a more objective perspective. At certain points, the article seems to present information in a manner which biases a particular position. Under the section about the "Carlisle Indian Industrial School" is written, "Essentially they were considered hostages to persuade their peoples in the West to keep peace." This line, which does not include a citation, adds a personal analysis.

Overall, the article does not seem to present much information regarding the curriculum at American Indian boarding schools. This information, if included, would provide a more objective sense of the extent of assimilation without inserting bias. Instead, the article heavily details incidents and claims of abuse, at times without citation.

The word choices employed in the article are also problematic and indicative of possible bias. Under the "Legality" section, the section asserts that the "American government believed they were rescuing these children from a world of poverty and depression..." - this claim, when not cited, seems unfounded (although very believable and expected).

With articles on matters such as this, it is difficult to distinguish between what is truly a horrific establishment and what is biased. In this case, while the facts are essentially cited, they serve as somewhat of an overrepresentation and can be better incorporated and supported.

Sources and References

 * Guiding questions


 * Are all facts in the article backed up by a reliable secondary source of information?
 * Are the sources thorough - i.e. Do they reflect the available literature on the topic?
 * Are the sources current?
 * Check a few links. Do they work?

Sources and references evaluation
As touched on somewhat in the previous evaluation section, this article has much work to be done in sufficiently citing facts and providing sources. While the links I tested are functional, they can better reflect available literature.

Throughout the article, the presence of citations seems relatively regular. In one of the last sections ("Economic repercussions", there is a message which alerts the reader to the fact that "This section does not cite any sources". The section itself seems almost like an afterthought, with many ideas presented consecutively with no secondary sources to back it up. This issue is not as prevalent in the other sections,

There is some sparsity, however, in the introductory sections (including the Lead). In the "Non-reservation boarding schools" section, the article presents many pieces of specific information, such as that "West of the Mississippi, schools near indigenous settlements and on reservations were first founded by religious missionaries..." but these are not supported by secondary sources.

Additionally, as noted in a previous section, the information is not up-to-date. In some sections (such as "History of education of Native Americans") this is understandable. But it is expected that this subject matter would receive more updated developments in the 21st century, or even 20th century.

Organization

 * Guiding questions


 * Is the article well-written - i.e. Is it concise, clear, and easy to read?
 * Does the article have any grammatical or spelling errors?
 * Is the article well-organized - i.e. broken down into sections that reflect the major points of the topic?

Organization evaluation
While I was not able to identify any grammatical or spelling errors in the article, its overall organization is lacking. In certain sections, information seems to be haphazardly dispersed. Under the "Non-reservation boarding schools" section, the last sentence notes that "children were enrolled very far from their communities and were not permitted to travel home or receive parental visitation" - a fact which, in addition to not being cited, seems irrelevant to the section and is developed in much more depth in a following section.

Even through a precursory glance through the listed table of contents, the organization of the article does not make logical sense. The article starts off with historical background before creating a new section for the "Carlisle Indian Industrial School" - which I feel are more relevant if included in the history section. Then, a separate section is created for "Disease and Death", which I feel is more fitting under the "Implications of Assimilation" section. The "Implications of Assimilation" section at first seems to speak on the implications on culture and identity, but actually deals with a variety of different implications, including post-traumatic stress and corporal punishment. The section on the Meriam Report is also separated from the "Legality" section, despite it mentioning and explaining legislative changes such as the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975".

While the article is relatively easy to read and does not have any noticeable grammatical or spelling errors, it has many faults with regard to organization and concision.

Images and Media

 * Guiding questions


 * Does the article include images that enhance understanding of the topic?
 * Are images well-captioned?
 * Do all images adhere to Wikipedia's copyright regulations?
 * Are the images laid out in a visually appealing way?

Images and media evaluation
Given the social and historical context of American Indian boarding schools, it is understandable that there may not be many images available to enhance the article. Even so, the article only features three images. Two of the three depict students in the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, and the third portrays Native Americans from a range of tribes dating from 1868 to 1924. While the first two do not seem to contribute much to enhancing the understanding of the nature of boarding schools, the third effectively demonstrates the degree of assimilation.

All three are well-captioned - with the captions concisely and relevantly describing them. Additionally, all the images seem to adhere to Wikipedia's copyright regulations, with proper citations being attributed to each.

As for visual appeal, the images are laid out in the standard Wikipedia format - on the side between blocks of text. Their placement also effectively corresponds with what is being discussed in the article.

Checking the talk page

 * Guiding questions


 * What kinds of conversations, if any, are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this topic?
 * How is the article rated? Is it a part of any WikiProjects?
 * How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we've talked about it in class?

Talk page evaluation
The talk page of this article does not seem to be conducted as professionally as I have seen on other articles. In one section titled "POV", two editors are discussing the perspective presented in the article. As I detailed in an earlier section, while the organization of American Indian boarding schools is undeniably wrong and tragic, there is still a need for it to be presented in an objective manner. One editor poses that perhaps these boarding schools weren't developed completely due to misguided or discriminatory policies. The second editor writes back, "Sure and let's make sure and create a more balanced approach to the Holocaust". This type of conversation is reflected later on in a separate section saying, "I love going on wikipedia and seeing articles glorifying and trying to put a positive spin on attempted cultural genocide." These types of conversations do not appear to be productive or respectful. On the other hand, however, there was an extensive and productive discussion of the merits of changing the name of the article.

The article is rated "C-class" and "High-importance" under the WikiProjects of Education, United States, and Indigenous peoples of North America.

Overall, the talk section of this article is different compared to the talk section that we explored in class. The article we explored in class - which was higher rated and more extensively collaborated on - included far more professional exchanges, with many editors focusing on very specific elements of the article. The talk section of this article seems to prioritize and emphasize the morality in presenting on American Indian boarding schools rather than the actual article itself.

Overall impressions

 * Guiding questions


 * What is the article's overall status?
 * What are the article's strengths?
 * How can the article be improved?
 * How would you assess the article's completeness - i.e. Is the article well-developed? Is it underdeveloped or poorly developed?

The overall status of this article seems to be that it is still under further development. At points, it is sufficiently cited and supported by reliable secondary sources. The section on the history of the boarding schools seems relatively well-developed, alongside the section detailing the "Implications of assimilation". The article demonstrates varied and reputable research conducted on the topic.

However, there admittedly seems to be more area for improvement. Look through the "Talk" section illuminates the problem that this article does not seem to have been the product of much collaboration. the "Talk" section features many editors deliberating on the morality of the tone of the article, without much attention being paid towards the organizational structure or content itself. This can explain its disjointed and disorganized nature.

In general, the article can benefit from more concision and research. Some sentences and information appear to be irrelevant or redundant, or may appear in the wrong sections. And many sections - particularly the "Legality" and "Economic repercussions" sections - are underdeveloped. The article does not seem to contain major modern developments in legislation concerning addressing the consequences of American Indian boarding schools, with the latest development included in the article dated to the late 1900s. And the economics section is entirely devoid of citations, leading Wikipedia to flag it under the label that "This section does not cite any sources". Overall, an imbalance in the extent of development and completeness is observed throughout the article. While the article seems to provide a relatively sturdy foundation for the topic, it appears that more work must be done to fully develop and update the research.